Legacy of Heroes Christmas Special
by Cmartin-Panda Productions
Summary: Exactly what the tital states. This is the Legacy of Heroes Christmas Special that takes place AFTER the Ice arc, so there are spoilers. Plus it opens up for the sequel to the main story; Legacy of Heroes: The Next Generation. Please enjoy and be mindful of the spoilers. ONE SHOT


**Author's Note from Panda: Merry Late Christmas all you filthy animals. Welcome to the first ever Cmartin-Panda Productions Christmas Special. We hope you all enjoy this fluffy little story about Gohan and Videl's first Christmas in the Leaf. Since this takes place after the upcoming arc in the story, I feel obligated to warn you all of spoilers, or you can just treat this like a movie special. You anime fans know what I'm talking about. Either way, enjoy, favorite, leave a review, have a happy holiday season, and join me in saying goodbye to 2016.**

 **Cause seriously, fuck this year.**

 **Happy Holidays to you all.**

* * *

Our story began on the early morning hours of December 18th, exactly one week from Christmas. The Village Hidden in the Leaves had since been jokingly named the Hidden Snow village on account of the heavy blizzard that had been pelting the rooftops and covering the streets all throughout the town for the past several days. Looking outside, one could see a perfect, unblemished layer of white covering everything as far as the eye could see, with only the multicolored lights and wreaths of holly able to break through the blanket. Now that the storm had passed, the village as a whole was left in a state of calm and the villagers felt only the desire to stay inside and snuggle up to a loved one. As was the custom with such perfect winter weather.

Which leads us to another cozy little apartment along the many streets of the Leaf, and the loving couples that lived inside. If one were to look through that particular apartment's 2nd story frost covered window, they would see a spike mess of blond hair sticking out from beneath a terribly cozy blanket. This hair belonged to Naruto Uzumaki, hero of the Allied Shinobi Nations, and he had a particularly giddy look on his face for a man just barely awake. For at that moment, from beneath the covers came a sexy pink haired girl squirming her way out from beneath the sauna like covers and into the crisp morning air where her lover's face resides. The girl smiled without opening her eyes as she made her way closer to Naruto. She was Sakura Haruno, heroine of the Allied Shinobi Nations and medical ninja extraordinar. Unfortunately, that last credential was about to be regretful. Sakura forced her eyes open to look at Naruto's adorable sleeping face (even if she could only make out the barest of shapes in the darkness).

"Naruto..." She cooed ever so softly. Wishing to wake him while secretly hoping to fall back asleep with him.

Said snuggling boy-toy fluttered his eyes open upon hearing his lover's gentle coos. Sounding sweeter to him in the morning than a bowl of piping hot ramen. "Morning Sakura-chan..." Naruto said softly.

"Good morning...do you know what time it is?" Sakura whispered as she snuggled herself closer into the crock of her lover's neck.

"Nope..."

"It's five o'clock and I need to be at the hospital by six..." Sakura sighed without a care in the world.

"Oh I see..." Naruto breathed out, equally unconcerned. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I wanted you to wake up and suffer with me before I go to work. Since you get to sleep in this morning anyway." Sakura explained, regaining some of her coherence. "Plus, I wanna snuggle."

"Oh, well all you had to do was ask..." Naruto yawned before enveloping Sakura in a warm and toasty embrace.

"Mmmm...you're so warm. Like a sauna. I'd give anything to just sleep in with you this morning." Sakura sighed as her fingers began rubbing up and down Naruto's torso.

"So do it...they've got plenty of doctors already at the hospital..." Naruto reasoned, even though he already knew what Sakura's answer would be.

"I can't. I gotta go." Sakura pouted as she scooched herself off of Naruto's body to the edge of the bed. She made it all the way to sitting upright with her feet touching the cool carpeted floor when she felt a pair of strong hands grip her hips from both sides.

"No...don't go..." Naruto pouted with a mutter.

"I have to, dear...I can't let Gohan do everything. He's still green yet."

Naruto didn't respond, instead he traced circles into Sakura's hips and rear, hoping to entice her with a massage. To his credit, it was working to an extent.

Sakura sighed. "You want a quickie before I have to go, don't you?" She asked, knowing exactly what was on his mind.

"No... I want my favorite girl in the whole multiverse to come cuddle with me..." He pouted.

"Yea...it shows." Sakura giggled before pointing out the tent pole under the covers.

"Um...morning wood?" Naruto tried sheepishly.

"Yea I bet...wait a minute, didn't you say you were shopping with Videl and Choji today?"

"I am. At 10."

"Oh...well okay, but I still need to get ready." Sakura leaned back to nuzzle Naruto's face with her own. Like what vixens did to their mates in the wild.

"Remember, good boys get rewarded this time of year." Sakura playfully scoffed.

Naruto couldn't help but grin. "God I love you..."

"I know..." Sakura teased before turning around, still wrapped up in Naruto's arms. His fingertips linger along the elastic waist band of her panties as she had to walk away from bed and into her/their private bathroom.

"You wanna join me?" Sakura asked before closing the door. She lingered at the door for a little bit, expecting it to be thrown open at any second. However, all Sakura heard was the sound of Naruto sawing logs, causing her to laugh a little.

 _'Men...'_ She thought lovingly to herself before getting ready to take her shower. She stripped herself of all her sweaty undergarments, turned on the shower to let it warm up, then stepped inside to feel the soothing heat of the clean water cascading down her front.

 _'I wonder what Naruto is going to get me?'_ Sakura thought to herself.

 _'You could always snoop around for it later.'_ Inner smirked. Sakura smiled as she ran her fingers through her hair.

* * *

Sometime later, she was out of the shower and changed into her work clothes. She stepped back into her bedroom to give Naruto one last kiss goodbye. Naruto sleepily returned the kiss and Sakura finally headed downstairs. Making herself a quick breakfast before her parents were even awake and wrapped herself in a warm coat to head our into the frozen landscape outside.

In the Son home, a brunette woman stirred awake from her alarm clock going off. She opened one sleepy eye to see that it read 7:30.

"Ugh...fine..." She groaned before reaching over to shut it off. She was 5 months pregnant of her 6 month term and it was wearing her out big time. She swung her legs out of bed, exposing her bare body and swollen belly. Using her tail, she grabbed her robe so she could put it on.

"Might as well get the day started...huh?" She paused when she saw a note.

 _"Videl, I made you a capsule breakfast and lunch for the day. If you get tired out, sit and rest for a while. It's looking like it's going to be a busy day at the Hospital today so I'll be home when I can. And please, try not to use your energy._

 _Love, Gohan."_

Videl pinched the bridge of her nose. _'Really, Gohan? Must you be this overprotective?'_ She thought in annoyance.

 _'Yes, I do.'_ Gohan thought back.

 _'It was kind of sweet for four months, but now it is starting to get on my tits. I'm not helpless.'_ Videl thought.

 _'You're strength is all but nill, your energy is cut off due to the kids, you get tired easily, and you're due in less than a month. I shouldn't have to keep reminding you of this.'_

 _'You don't, but I already promised not to fight until I deliver, I won't be going on anymore missions until then either, and this village is the safest village in the world.'_ Videl reminded him.

 _'Doesn't mean I still don't worry about you dear.'_ Gohan said softly.

 _'Sigh...I know, and it's sweet sometimes. But I'm going crazy being cooped up in this house all day.'_

 _'Well, you're going shopping with Naruto and Choji today.'_

 _'What? When was that established?'_

 _'That's what Sakura told me.'_

 _'Huh? Naruto never mentioned that.'_ Videl thought in confusion.

 _'Well Sakura did.'_ Gohan repeated.

 _'Alright, that sounds like fun anyway. Who did we not get presents for yet?'_ Videl asked as she got up to throw on some sweat pants.

 _'Naruto and Sakura. So, have fun trying out fox Naruto.'_ Gohan teased.

 _'Oh joy...'_

 _'You'll be fine.'_

 _'Welp...I best get ready then.'_

 _'Alright, love you.'_

 _'Love you too.'_

Gohan cut the mental connection and picked up his clipboard he had left on the nurse's counter.

"Hey Gohan." Sakura called as she walked up to him. "I'm on my way to a heart case, may need your help with this one."

"Right. How bad?" Gohan asked.

"Bad enough to land on Lady Tsunade's desk and therefore mine." Sakura said as she pulled out her file on the patient and handed it to Gohan.

The half saiyan looked it over and turned serious. "Aortic dissection of the upper and lower aorta. Not good."

"Yeah. I figured that the two of us working together would get this done quicker. Freeing us up for the rest of the individual cases."

"Alright, let's do it." Gohan nodded

* * *

While they headed off to surgery, Videl was stepping out of the shower.

 _'Hey Naruto?'_ She thought. But Videl heard nothing from the other end.

 _'Of course,'_ Videl groaned before trying again. _'NARUTO! WAKE UP YOU LAZY BUM!'_

"WAAAAHHH!" Naruto cried as he was startled awake.

 _'Bout time you woke up...'_ Videl thought. _'Get ready to go, Choji is already waiting.'_

 _'Ugh...what time is it...?'_

 _'Quarter to 9.'_

 _'I thought you said 10?'_

 _'I grew impatient. Now come on.'_

 _'Alright, alright...'_ Naruto sighed as he worked on getting out of bed.

 _'I'll be at your place in 20 minutes.'_ Videl thought before cutting off the mental link.

* * *

20 minutes later, Videl was greeted at the door by Mebuki.

"Oh, hi Videl. How are you feeling?" Mebuki greeted.

"Like a bloated cow and a newborn kitten...I never realized having a child would take so much out of you."

"Don't even get me started. Having Sakura was no picnic either. Won't you come in? Its freezing out there." Mebuki offered.

"Please." Videl nodded as Mebuki stepped aside to let her in. "I can't stay long, I'm here to get Naruto to do Christmas shopping."

"Kinda last minute, isn't it?" Mebuki asked before shutting the door.

"It was his idea. He said he had something extra special to pick up for Sakura and needed my help."

"I see. Well that's lovely. What about you, anyone you're shopping for in particular?" Mebuki asked.

Videl looked around and reached out to sense Naruto to make sure he wasn't in hearing distance. "Something for both of them." She whispered.

"Oooh, anything in mind?"

"Shhhh." Videl hushed in case Naruto heard. "I can't decide what to get Sakura, but I thought a nice new 3 pronged Kunai would be perfect for Naruto."

"You mean like his father's kunai? You know you have to custom order those, right?"

"I know, but I figured if anyone can make it fast, it's Tenten."

"Alright then. As for Sakura...Well her wish list was filled with books."

"That's no surprise."

"But...there was one thing she asked that I never even heard of."

"What?"

"I think she called it...a vein finder."

"A vein finder? I didn't even know those were even here." Videl said in awe.

"She said it was the latest advancement in medical technology."

"Ah...well, I'll keep my eyes peeled then."

That's when Naruto came down stairs in his usual orange jacket with a green and turquoise scarf. "Hey Videl. Morning Mebuki." He greeted.

"Morning Naruto. That room of yours best be clean before you leave." Mebuki said motherly.

"You didn't scold Sakura when she left." He pouted sonly.

"Because I wasn't up yet and she had to be to work early."

"You never do anyway..." He muttered.

"Don't you back sass me young man." Mebuki scolded. "This last two weeks you've been out of Shinobi work and have been lounging around while Sakura is working herself to the bone at the hospital. You need to find some part time work."

"It's not my fault missions have started to run dry. I've been training diligently every day though."

"Training doesn't pay the bills, especially when we have 4 mouths to feed, two of which eat enough for 5."

"I always paid for my own meals." Naruto reminded her.

"Oh really? With what money? You haven't had a decent paycheck in weeks."

"Can...we save this for another time?" Videl interjected.

"I have my own savings. This isn't the first mission drought I've lived through." Naruto argued.

"Well it still isn't fair that Sakura is working hard and you're just training. Now clean that room if you haven't yet."

"Jokes on you, I did clean it." Naruto smirked.

"Alright then." Mebuki said before walking to the kitchen.

"Now I get why the guys complained about their mothers." Naruto whispered. "Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces, but she can so nag..." He whined.

"I wouldn't know..." Videl said softly.

"You grew up with your dad, didn't you?"

"Yea, but...actually, we'll walk and talk."

"Right, we gotta pick up Choji anyway." Naruto said as he put on his boots and said goodbye to Mebuki. The two friends them stepped outside to have the morning air nip at their noses.

"Anyway, what I was saying is...yes, I grew up with my dad but...I always felt that something was missing in my life. I wanted a mother worse than bad..." Videl admitted.

"Same with me and wanting both my parents. Or any family for that matter." Naruto said.

"Well, technically going by what you have told me, you've had a family all along. Lord Third, Iruka, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, Teuchi, Ayame, they may not be related to you, but they are your family in one way or another."

"Most of them only came around after I turned 12. But getting back to you, you've had all your friends back in your original universe along with your father and Gohan. Plus, all of us once you came here."

"Well...that's not entirely true. I had no friends growing up. It wasn't until I went to school when I was 9. Before that, it was just me and my dad."

"Before I turned 12, at most I had the Old Man Hokage, Iruka-sensei, and Ayame and her father."

"Really? But...what about Sakura?" Videl asked.

"She was a Sasuke fangirl who hit me whenever I got too close to her or annoyed her." Naruto shrugged.

Videl blinked. "Sakura did that...? I have a hard time believing-"

"She hated my guts when we were kids..."

"Oh my God, I had no..."

"It's all in the past. Now come on, its Christmas time, we shouldn't be talking about all this depressing crap." Naruto said with his hands behind his head.

"Well, there is one good thing that came out of all of this." Videl smiled. "You got her head over heels in love with you."

"Yup, now what else is there to talk about?" Naruto asked.

"Well, you're keeping me in the dark about this special gift for Sakura and why do you need me for it?" Videl asked.

"You'll see when we get there." Naruto replied simply.

"Come on, you can tell me...wait a minute..." Videl paused, her detective senses tingling as the gears in her head turning.

 _'Very secretive, requiring a woman's input, says it's a very special gift...'_ Then it donned on her and she stopped dead in her tracks. "No...you mean...are you getting her what I think you're getting her?"

"Depends on what it is you're thinking." Naruto said simply, but in reality, he was sweating, afraid that Videl had already figured it out.

"You're getting her a ring, aren't you?"

 _'Shit...'_ Naruto thought. "Okay you've got me. But it's not the kind of ring you're thinking about."

"Enlighten me."

"It's this topaz ring. Fairly cheap, but Sakura's grandmother had a ring just like it. When she passed away I heard through some relatives that Sakura used to play with her grandmother's ring all the time when she came over. She was buried with that ring though. So I thought I'd get Sakura something like that." Naruto explained.

"Uh...okay so...is it like a promise ring or?"

"What? No, it's just a regular ring. Something to remember her grandma by." Naruto said.

"Oh...I thought you were getting her like a promise or engagement ring."

"Nope. That comes when we've both become the Hokage and the Head Medic respectively. Until then, we're just dating." Naruto explained.

"Okay, I can understand the Head Medic because she'll get that before too much longer I'm sure. But Naruto...you haven't even begun your training for Hokage yet and Lady Tsunade says that takes years to complete. You'd be pushing 30 by the time you actually get the title."

"Videl. Me and Sakura-chan already discussed this. We love each other and we want marriage to be our last big achievement. We don't need any kind of promise ring to keep us together." Naruto said firmly, wanting Videl to drop the matter entirely.

"Well, whatever. So why do you need me for this?"

"I uh...don't know her ring size..." Naruto admitted.

"Ahh...so that's it." Videl said, remembering when she let Sakura try her engagement ring on and it was a perfect fit.

"Yup, so who are you shopping for?" Naruto asked.

"That, I can't tell you."

"So, it's for me then." Naruto confirmed with a smirk.

"No, we already took care of that. It's not you we're shopping for."

"So, Sakura-chan then?"

"Nope, Lady Tsunade and Kakashi-sensei."

"Really?" Naruto said skeptically. "Well good luck. Me and Sakura-chan already bought him the latest Make-Out book: Make-Out Revelations. Signed by Pervy Sage himself."

"Oh no, I'm not getting him more smut. I'm getting him a watch so maybe he can show up to our training sessions on time."

"You're a very optimistic person, you know that?" Naruto smirked.

"Someone has to be."

"Couldn't hurt. I'd pitch in a few Ryo to make it happen."

"I'm not spending a whole lot. I want to keep it under 500 Ryo."

"Nah, you're gonna want to get him a ninja watch if you want him to wear it." Naruto insisted.

"Alright then."

"A good one will cost up to 5,000 Ryo."

"Oh dear...Gohan is gonna kill me..." Videl sweat dropped. In reality she had already bought him a watch for more than that.

"Like I said, let me pitch in. We can make it a gift from Team 7, including the book." Naruto offered.

"Alright." Videl nodded. She'd have to pick the same watch she had already bought. Either that or return the one she had already got. But first... _'Hey Tenten, you busy?'_

 _'Not really. Just burning all of Lee's green jumpsuits with the Christmas trees on them. What's up?'_ Tenten replied as she stroked her family's furnace.

 _'I have a very important order I need put in and done by Christmas.'_

 _'I swear to God if it is one more Candy Cane Katana...'_ Tenten grumbled.

 _'I need you to make a new three-pronged kunai for Naruto.'_

 _'Three-pronged kunai? That pretty unique. Do you have any references?'_

 _'The same one Lord Forth had. Naruto learned his signature jutsu while training with King Kai but Danzo broke it. But I want this one to be special. I want it made with tungsten and platinum if you can.'_

' _You know platinum doesn't make for good weapons, right?'_

 _'Well I would ask for titanium, but I don't know if you have that yet.'_

 _'I can make it out of a special metal we use specifically for chakra weapons. Better than the standard issue kunai metal at absorbing and conducting chakra. Like the blades Asuma-sensei uses.'_

 _'Alright, do that then. And as far as payment, I have something Baal gave me that I think you would love.'_

 _'I kind of need actual payment for an order like this.'_

 _'I can do that too. You'll get the other for Christmas. What would the damage be?'_

 _'For a friend, and because of the nice Christmas gift you're giving me...call it 1,000 Ryo.'_

 _'Done.'_

 _'Great. Also, Naruto will have to apply the seal himself. No one but him knows the 4th's Thunder God Jutsu.'_

 _'I kinda figured that.'_

 _'Good. Cause I've had two customers today who complained that we didn't add elemental seals to their blades. We explained this to them when they made their orders, but apparently, they thought we were joking.'_ Tenten grumbled.

 _'Gotta love people sometimes...anyway, we're about to meet up with Choji so I'll stop by later when I don't have Naruto with me.'_

 _'Alright. I'll get started on your order and let my dad know so he can stream you through the paperwork. Say hi to the guys for me.'_

 _'Will do.'_ Videl replied before cutting the link.

"What's up?" Naruto asked, having noticed that Videl had spaced out on him for a while.

"Huh? Oh, talking with Gohan. Apparently, they're busier than a one-armed paper hanger." Videl said.

"A what?"

"It's a saying back home. It means they're very busy."

"Ah, okay." Naruto said as they walked through the open gates into the Akimichi compound.

"I figured we could make a stop at Asuma's place for lunch later." Videl offered.

"Sounds good. Oh hey, did you hear that Kurenai-sensei was pregnant with Asuma's kid?" Naruto asked as they walked up to the main house.

"Yea I heard about it. About a month ago, I found out."

"Same. I swear to God the news just snuck up on me out of nowhere. I literally ran into her at the hospital and there she was with a baby belly."

"Well, you aren't known to be very observant." Videl teased.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Never mind no one else knew about it. Save for Shikamaru."

"Well, Sakura did. She's the one who told me."

"Sakura was her doctor and that was by chance."

"well, whatever the case may be, I'm happy for them."

"Same. Seems like everyone is getting pregnant nowadays though." Naruto smirked as he knocked on the front door to Choji's house.

"Why, is Sakura next?" Videl teased.

"Nope. After our first little scare, she has been triple checking her contraceptive jutsu while I keep condoms in stock."

"Smart." Videl nodded before the door opened.

The smell of Christmas cookies baking in the oven immediately washed over them as a buxom woman in a red and green apron answered the door. The apron read: Santa's Little Helper.

"Oh, if it isn't Naruto and Videl." Choji's mother said delightfully.

"Hello Mrs. Akimichi." Videl greeted.

"Choji should be down in a moment. Would you two like some cookies before you go?" Mrs. Akimichi offered.

"Oh, no thank you." Naruto declined respectfully.

"Mmm...maybe a couple." Videl said.

"Hey guys." Choji greeted as he came down the stairs already to go.

"Hey Choji. Ready for some last-minute shopping?" Videl asked as she took a sprinkled sugar cookie from Mrs. Akimichi's sample platter.

"Am I ever." Choji smiled.

"Who do you gotta buy for?" Naruto asked.

"Ino. I haven't gotten her anything yet." Choji informed.

"Oooh boy...yea don't wanna forget her." Videl said.

"Yeah. Problem is that I'm fresh out of ideas. She buys all the clothes she wants. Videl, you went shopping with Ino a few days back. Did she get me anything so that I might get her something similar?" Choji asked.

"Um..." Videl muttered as her mind drifted off to a flashback.

"Alright, I've got Choji's present." Ino declared as the girls all met up in the middle of Market Square.

"Ino, we just saw you exit the Kunoichi's Secret. What could you possibly have bought for Choji there?" Videl asked.

"These." Ino proudly declared as she opened the boxes to reveal the edible bra and panty set, plus a sky blue lacy set of lingerie with a heart over the cooch.

"I couldn't decide between the two of them. So, I got them both." Ino smiled.

"Uh...unfortunately, nothing comes to mind." Videl sputtered.

"Ah, well shoot. Maybe a new kunai set or a jigsaw puzzle?" Choji suggested.

"Eh...I think...that wouldn't be...what's the word...appropriate. Naruto, you can help pick something out that Ino would like from Choji."

"How am I supposed to know what she would want?" Naruto asked.

 _'For starters, she got lingerie. Both very revealing and edible.'_ Videl thought to Naruto. _'Help him get something to top that.'_

 _'Wait, why would she get him lingerie?'_ Naruto asked.

 _'For her to wear for him, idiot...'_ Videl deadpanned.

 _'Right. I probably should have realized that.'_

 _'So yea, help him find something to top that and play along.'_ Videl thought before speaking. "You'll just have to figure that out."

"Right. Shall we go?" Naruto asked.

"Yea, I'm ready." Choji said.

"Alright then. Let's go. We're burning daylight." Videl said before turning to Choji's mother. "Thanks for having us. Maybe next time we can stay a little longer."

"Oh, don't fret about it. You kids have fun. And Naruto, be sure to send Mebuki my love." Mrs. Akimichi smiled.

"Will do." Naruto smiled back before the three of them made their way outside.

"So, how you feeling Videl?" Choji asked.

"Like a bloated cow..." Videl grumbled, having said the same thing to Mebuki.

"Well you look great. You're glowing." Choji said, trying to cheer her up.

"You mean I'm sweating." Videl corrected.

"No, you...really are glowing." Naruto said as he pointed out that there was a slight golden aura around her.

"That happens frequently. Sakura can't make heads or tails of it, but I'm certain it means I'm close to delivering. I just hope it waits until after Christmas."

"Why? It would make an awesome Christmas present for both you and Gohan." Choji stated.

Videl looked over at Choji. "That is so sweet and corny."

"Well, it would, wouldn't it?" Naruto asked.

"In theory, yes. But you try buying presents for both Christmas and their birthday at the same time. Too much money, too much hassle." Videl countered.

"Yea, I suppose you have a point." Choji conceded.

"Don't you have to spend money on both anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Didn't I just say at the same time? It's different when they're months apart."

"Well it would cost the same, wouldn't it?"

"I-" Videl tried to argue, but as history would have it, Naruto made an unexpected point. "Um...well, I suppose that would make sense..."

"Ya huh."

"So, when would you want them to be born?" Choji asked.

"Well their due date is January 10th, but Lady Tsunade said that first time pregnancies can come full term sooner, so...whenever it happens it happens."

"But you'd rather wait until the 10th?"

"Ideally yes, but if they do come early, I'll still welcome them with open arms."

"Obviously." Naruto smirked.

"So where are we going first?" Choji asked.

"I need to stop in a jewelry shop to get Kakashi-sensei a watch and then to the medical supplies shop." Videl said.

"Sounds good. I gotta grab Mebuki and Kizashi a gift too." Naruto said.

"Well this seems pretty cut and dry. Once we hit the market strip we'll split up and meet back at Asuma's place around 12:30." Videl said.

"Sounds good. I'll be in the fancy soap store." Choji pointed with his thumb.

"Why there?" Videl asked.

"Seems like as good a place as any." Choji shrugged. In truth, he had a good idea what he wanted to get for Ino, but telling Videl would be too big of a risk if he didn't want to spoil the gift. Such were the precautions you took when your girlfriend could read minds.

"Alright. Then I'll see you guys later then." Videl shrugged.

"Are...you sure you're going to be okay?" Naruto asked with concern.

"Don't worry, if anything happens I'll just yell, 'Oh God the baby is coming!' At the top of my lungs." Videl replied.

"Alright. I can agree to that." Naruto shrugged.

"Good."

* * *

The three of them split off to do their shopping so that none of them knew what the other was getting.

Naruto headed to the jewelry store where a thousand sparkling and festive gems were on display in the glass counters.

"Good morning!" One of the jewelers greeted. "How can I-Oh my god! You're Naruto Uzumaki aren't you?" She squealed.

"Um, I am." Naruto replied, slightly weirded out.

"It's so great to meet you! Thanks to you and your friends, we're safe."

"Oh, it's nothing..." Naruto said as he got a good look at the rather cute girl. "Actually, I don't remember ever saving you. I'm sorry."

"You saved my family and our world. That's good enough."

She recomposed herself after realizing how unprofessional she was being. "My apologies, I didn't mean to fly off like that. How can I help you?"

"No, it's no problem." Naruto waved off. "I don't like all that formal crap anyway."

"Alright then. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Yes, a certain jade ring. One that an old lady would wear." He said. "It's for my girlfriend."

The saleswoman raised an eyebrow. "That's a rather unusual thing for a girlfriend."

"Well I'm told it had sentimental value. Or at least the real one did. I probably should have explained this better, but I'm looking for ring similar to my girlfriend's dead grandmother's ring."

"Ah, I see. Do you happen to have a photo of it?"

"Um no..."

"Okay, well let's see what we have in that style. Do you know if it had a solitaire gem, multiple gems or no gems at all?"

"It was just one gem."

"Okay. Do you know what kind?"

"No wait, it wasn't jade. It was topaz." Naruto corrected himself.

"Okay a Topaz gem. that makes more sense and it's easier to find. Do you know what the band is made of?"

"Gold, probably?" He guessed.

"Hmmm, maybe I'll just show you some topaz rings and see if you recognize any." She then led Naruto over to the case that was full of rings, a lot of them had many different colored bands and gems.

Naruto gazed upon them all then one of them caught his eye. It wasn't the one he was looking for, but damn did it look perfect. Rose Gold band, a fairly large diamond centered around emeralds and pink diamonds.

 _'Aw man...that one would be perfect for Sakura-chan...'_ Naruto thought. He'd have to come back to that one at a later time.

"I believe this is the one you're looking for." The sales lady said as she pulled out a golden band with a hexagonal shaped topaz crowned on the top.

"Woah..." Naruto said in awe.

"It's 24k gold with a one quarter karat topaz. It's actually the only one we have left."

"It's amazing. But this isn't the ring Sakura's grandma wore." Naruto said.

"It's not? You said you were looking for a topaz ring, right?"

"Yes, but it wasn't this nice. Sakura comes from a family of civilians. Her clan isn't rich." Naruto said.

"I see. Well, let's see what else we have."

The woman shifted around until she found the cheapest topaz ring in the store. "Is this what you are looking for?" She asked, handing Naruto the ring to inspect it.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's exactly it."

"Perfect. Do you know the size?" The lady smiled.

"Um...shoot, where's Videl? She has the same ring size."

"Videl Son? I think I have her size on record."

"You do, that's awesome." Naruto exclaimed.

The lady grabbed a log book from behind the counter and started looking over it.

"Let's see...Son...Son...ah here we go." She said as she flipped the pages. "Videl Son. Engagement ring brought in to be resized...6.5 was the new size."

"And how fast can you resize this topaz ring?" Naruto asked.

"Well, let me check the size first." She then pulled out a large ring that a bunch of smaller, long rings on it in various sizes. She found the right size and matched it to the ring. Same size.

"It's actually the same size. Which is good because it would take about 10 days to resize it."

"Sweet. I'll take it." Naruto declared.

"Great! Now the price on this, with the Christmas sale, is 2500 Ryo."

"Sold." Naruto said as he reached into his wallet and pulled out the appropriate number of bills.

"But...for you, I'll drop it down to 750. Call it a hero discount." She smiled.

"Fine, but I'm donating that 750 to- wait a minute. Only 750? That's way too low." Naruto exclaimed.

"Not really. Topaz isn't a very precious gem and it's got a gold-plated sterling silver band. Not very valuable in the long run. To be honest we can make them for 1250 so 750 isn't going to be that much of any loss."

"But it's still a loss. I just can't accept that. Let me pay full price." Naruto begged.

"Well...if you insist." The lady sighed.

"Thank you though. Your gratitude is reward enough."

"Well I suppose...would you like it gift wrapped? It's no extra cost."

"Yes, please." Naruto smiled politely.

* * *

Meanwhile, Videl had arrived at the Medical supplies store where she was immediately overwhelmed with the sight of everything any doctor or medic could need.

 _'Damn...the Paramedics in Satan City would love this.'_ She mused in thought.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but this is not a pharmacy." An exhausted shopkeeper said as soon as he saw Videl standing in the shop.

"Huh? No, I'm actually here to get something for a friend." Videl said.

"This isn't exactly a store for civilians. Are you employed by the hospital?" The shopkeeper asked, changing his tone.

"Um, I'm actually a Chunin Shinobi, not a civilian. And actually, my friend Sakura is employed by the hospital."

That made the shopkeeper really perk up. "Wait, Sakura? As in Sakura Haruno? Lady Tsunade's apprentice?"

"That's correct."

The man quickly regained his skeptical demeanor. "I don't believe you. I'm sorry but I can't just sell medical supplies to anyone who name drops the Leaf's second most famous medical ninja."

"Uh huh..." Videl said, slightly perturbed. "You do realize that she has trained my husband, Gohan Son, as her second. But you know, if you're going to be like that, then I can always call Lady Tsunade down here. All I gotta do is send a mental message to her saying my water broke and she'll beat feat."

"I'm sorry. My attitude wasn't appropriate. Please don't disturb the Hokage like that." The shopkeeper apologized.

"Alright then." Videl said simply. "I'm looking for a vein finder and it's a Christmas present for Sakura. Do you have one in stock?"

"A vein finder?" The man asked. "We do have a couple, but they aren't cheap."

"Don't worry about me being able to afford it." Videl said.

"Very well. I will need your husband to come here and sign for it though."

"Uhhh..." Videl sweat dropped. "That...might be an issue. He's working right now." Then Videl had a thought. "But...he may be on his lunch break. Give me a second."

"You can pay for it now and I'll have your order waiting for you when you return. I just need the approval from someone in the medical community in order to give it to you." The shopkeeper explained.

"Oh...okay, that works. Uh, what's the damage?"

"Well, we have 3 different kinds. We have the floor stand one, the desktop model and the handheld model. The floor stand model is going to be the most expensive at 70,000 Ryo."

Videl winced at the price. "Woah...yea, no. Not that one."

"The desktop model will be at 44,500 but the handheld one is 6,000."

"I think I'll go with the handheld one. That one seems to be the most affordable. I thought they were cheaper than that."

"Tell you what...since you and your husband have done a great service to our people by not only training our Shinobi, but protecting us and providing us with technology to advance further into the future, I'll knock 2000 off the price."

"That's very generous of you. So, that's 4,000 in total?"

"Correct."

"Okay. That...mmm...that'll work..." Videl said as she winced in apparent pain.

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yea, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Videl waved off.

"You're certain? How close are you to your due date?"

"A little less than a month. But, seriously, I'm...ugh..." Videl winced in pain again.

The shopkeeper put down his box of inventory and ran to Videl's side.

"I'm...I'm okay...I just...need to sit down..." Videl gasped out.

"You're certain? I can have medical ninjas here in two minutes, maximum." He offered.

"I-AAAH!" She hollered, her pain much more intense than before. "O-oh...god not now..." She looked down to see a puddle of liquid on the floor and her pants soaked.

 _'Sakura! Gohan! Help!'_ She called out mentally.

Before they could even respond, the door to the shop burst open as none other than Naruto rushed in.

"Videl? I heard you screaming." He exclaimed as his head snapped left and right to spot any potential danger.

"She's in labor." The shopkeeper said. "I'm a civilian medic, but I need Shinobi medics here now."

"The Hell with that. I can just carry her to the hospital myself." Naruto said as he swept Videl off her feet.

"No, set her back down." The shopkeeper medic ordered. "She's in labor, she can't be jostled around like that."

"N-Naruto...in my capsule case...my Jet Copter...capsule 5..." Videl gasped out.

"I don't know how to fly one of those!" He exclaimed.

"I've got a wheelchair in the back." The shopkeeper said as he rushed to the back, allowing Choji to rush in himself.

"What's going on?" Choji asked with concern.

"She's in labor." Naruto informed.

"I've got the wheelchair." The shopkeeper called out as he dashed down his aisles.

"Thank you." Naruto said as he plopped Videl into her seat.

Just then Gohan and Sakura burst through the doors and immediately realized what was going on.

"Ooohh...shit." Sakura cursed before going to Videl's side.

"Alright, Videl, just remember your breathing." Sakura instructed.

"Naruto, get Lady Tsunade on the double." Sakura ordered.

"Right." Naruto said before sending a Shadow Clone flying towards the Hokage Tower.

"Everybody make a hole!" Naruto ordered as he began pushing Videl out of the shop and into the street. "Clear the way!" He shouted at all the Christmas shoppers.

Gohan rested a glowing green palm on Videl's belly. "She's dilating fast, contractions seem to be 4 seconds apart."

The group sped down the street as fast as lightning, kicking up snow that pelted the sides of the stores on either side of the street.

"Administer pain sedative." Sakura ordered.

Gohan nodded and whipped out a syringe and quickly injected it into Videl's arm. He wasn't thinking of her as his wife and mother to his children, he was thinking of her as a patient that needed help.

"Sedative administered." Gohan said.

"Good, that should hold out until we get to the hospital." Sakura replied.

They all kept running down the street, darting past street vendors, absent minded shoppers, and the occasional decoration. With Naruto pushing the wheelchair, Choji taking up the rear with everyone's shopping bags in hand, and Sakura and Gohan flanking Videl on either side. Some civilians thought they were using Videl as a human battering ram.

"Not much further now, Videl. Just hang in there." Naruto tried to comfort.

"Easy for you to say...you don't have to...push a watermelon out of a hole...the size of a grape..." Videl gasped.

"Technically two of them, right?" Choji pointed out.

"Not now, Choji." Sakura barked.

"BP, 148 over 94. Pulse 160 and strong. Respirations 28." Gohan listed off.

"That's normal for her current state." Sakura replied.

Just then, they were flanked by Asuma, Kakashi and Ino.

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked.

"Videl is in labor. Help us clear the way." Sakura informed.

"Wouldn't it be easier to fly her to the hospital?" Ino pointed out.

"No, cause we're right here." Sakura said as they turned the corner and found themselves in front of the emergency room.

"Well that's convenient." Choji said

The large group then burst through the doors and startled a relaxed nurse.

"What's going on?!" The nurse exclaimed.

"Oh, I had a little too much sushi and my friends became worried- I'M HAVING TWO BABIES!" Videl snapped as her contractions kept hitting her. The tiny nurse flinched backwards like a tiger just snapped at her.

"Move aside." Sakura ordered before she and Naruto pushed Videl down the hall. "Gohan, you stay put until we get her stable."

"What? But I'm a doctor too."

"You're also family. I can't let you in less your emotions compromise your judgement." Sakura reminded him.

"But-"

"This isn't open for debate, Gohan! Now stay put until I call you. That's an order. Ino, give me a hand."

"I'm a therapist!" She cried.

"You're also trained medically by me and Lady Tsunade! Now let's go!"

"Ugh, fine!" Ino shouted as she ran after the rest of the medical ninjas.

"Damn..." Gohan cursed before sitting in a waiting room chair.

He soon found himself flanked on either side by Kakashi and Asuma. With Choji right in front of him.

"How ya holding up, buddy?" Asuma asked.

"I mean...it's my children. They're coming a month early..." Gohan said with concern.

"Half a month if it makes you feel any better." Choji said.

"Not really...and I'm really worried about Videl. Her mother died during childbirth."

"She didn't have Ino in there to yell encouragement at her." Choji smiled.

"Her mother died of an aneurism..." Gohan deadpanned.

"Her mother didn't have Sakura." Kakashi said as Tsunade ran in and right past them.

"Or Lady Tsunade." Asuma added.

"So, everything will be just fine." Choji smirked.

"I hope so..." Gohan sighed.

* * *

In the delivery room, Sakura and Ino were all scrubbed up and ready to go, just as Tsunade came in. Other nurses were running back and forth, preparing the room for delivery as quickly as possible with crash carts and other equipment placed on standby incase anything when awry.

"M'Lady." Sakura greeted as a nurse placed a surgical mask around Sakura's mouth.

"Update me, how's she doing?" Tsunade asked.

"She's stable, contractions are now 2 seconds apart. No signs of crowning yet." Sakura reported.

"Alright. Sakura, you're in charge of this one. Ino, you're her second. I'll observe." Tsunade stated.

"Are you certain, Lady Tsunade?" Ino asked as she was being fitted with a surgical mask as well.

"Positive. I may not say it enough, but Sakura is now almost on my level. There really isn't anything more I can teach her." Tsunade nodded.

"No arguments here." Ino smirked, making Sakura blush from the praise.

"CAN YOU DO THIS ANOTHER TIME?!" Videl bellowed from the other side of the room. A frightened nurse knocked over a water bucket at Videl's outburst as she was trying to wipe down the patient's forehead and make her comfortable.

"Hold your horses, we'll be right there." Sakura said as her gloves were put on. "You ready, Ino?"

"As I'll ever be." Ino sighed.

"Alright then. Let's bring in two new lives." Sakura smiled behind her mask before the two of them were by Videl's side, who was already in stirrups and a hospital gown but nothing more.

"Alright people, let's make this as routine as possible. Remember, like Chakra users, her Ki and Chakra will return to her the moment her babies are out so expect a surge of energy once we're done." Sakura instructed.

"Right." The female and male nurses responded.

"That being said, she's got abnormal strength on her own. So, take precautions without acting timid." Sakura ordered.

"WILL YOU HURRY UP?!" Videl barked.

"Videl, you need to relax. Nurse, give her another pain sedative. 250cc's." Sakura ordered.

"Yes, M'Lady." One of the nurses said.

 _'M'Lady?'_ Sakura thought. No one had ever called her that. It honestly felt...flattering.

"Alright, let's see what we got-ooohh boy...uh, Sakura?" Ino said in a bit of a panic.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, snapping back into doctor mode.

"Uh...we've got a problem here. I see feet."

"What was that?" Videl gasped, having not heard properly.

"Let me see." Sakura ordered as she practically pushed Ino aside. What she saw made her blood run cold. "Oh shit...Okay people! This is now an emergency delivery! Ino, get a hold of the OR, have them prep for a C-Section." Sakura ordered

"A what?! No, I wanted a natural birth!" Videl cried, having only overheard the word, 'C-section.'

"Videl, listen to me. One of the babies is coming out feet first. If we don't act now, it will make it worse on both you and your children." Sakura said seriously.

"I don't...I don't..." Videl muttered incoherently.

"Just trust me, please." Sakura begged.

"Little late for that, I can see the tail and the pelvis." Ino reported.

"Shit...move." Sakura ordered. She looked down under the blanket and sure enough, the baby was slowly moving its way out, feet first. " Okay, new plan! Nurse, administer a high dose of Flexerill IV. Ino, I need you to help widen her vagina. The easier we make it on her the better."

Sakura then looked up to Videl. "Once the muscle relaxant kicks in, I need you to do exactly what I tell you. You are going to have to deliver your daughter the way she is coming out. Do not push until I tell you."

"Okay..." Videl nodded nervously as someone slipped a needle into Videl. She felt a chill run through her abdomen.

"IV administered." One of the nurses said.

"Okay, good. Videl, you should be feeling the effects momentarily." Sakura informed.

"Sakura, my babies...will my babies be okay?" Videl begged.

"With me here, you can guarantee it. I won't let my godchildren down." Sakura assured.

Videl's eyes grew misty. "I know you won't." Videl then felt all the muscles in her body relax at once. "It's kicked in..." Videl said weakly.

"Okay, good. Ino, are you ready?" Sakura asked.

"Ready." Ino stated. Sakura looked over to see that Ino was wrists deep in Videl's Vagina to aid the baby out and minimize pressure on her head.

"Okay, Videl. On the next contraction, I need you to push." Sakura instructed.

"Okay." Videl confirmed.

After a moment, Videl felt another contraction and as soon as Sakura saw that look of discomfort on Videl's face, it was time.

"Push! Hard!" Sakura instructed. Videl gave an almighty push with everything she could muster, screaming at the top of her lungs as she did so.

"A little more!" Ino called out.

Videl have one more push before she felt relief. Something wet slide out.

"I got her!" Ino called out. She hoisted the baby up by her ankles and gave her a good slap. Yet the baby didn't cry out. She gave it another slap, still nothing. Ino could feel a lump in her throat.

"Give her here." Sakura ordered. She cut the umbilical cord with a pair of medical scissors and took the baby from Ino's hands. Using her medical chakra and a nearby cup of water, she cleared out anything that was blocking the baby's airway so she could breath. The baby let out a shrill gasp, the very air in the room seemed to crack like a whip and everyone froze. After a few moments of uncertainty, Sakura felt a tail wrap around her arm before the baby started to cry. A piercing screech that sounded like a choir of angels to the ears in the Operating Room. The sound of a new life.

"There she is..." Sakura smiled. One down.

As Sakura expected, she had black hair and a brown tail, all the while squirming to get to her mother while Sakura was trying to wrap her up in a blanket.

"Hold still you little wiggle worm...you'll see your mommy in a minute." Sakura giggled.

"Sakura! My baby! Is she...?"

"She's just fine. We'll have to run some tests on her later, but considering who her parents are, I'm sure there is nothing wrong with her." Sakura assured. The baby kept fighting Sakura to get to Videl, actually giving Sakura a hard time as she tried to hold onto her.

"She's strong alright. I think she wants to see you." Sakura giggled as she carefully handed the bundle over to Videl.

The new mother graciously took the little bundle from Sakura's arms as happy tears ran down her cheeks. "She's adorable..." She cooed, making the bundle settle down after hearing her mother's voice. She opened her eyes to reveal two solid crystal blue eyes, almost like a Hyuuga's. "Little Fasha..." Videl choked out happily.

Sakura smiled as one of the nurses wrote down the name of the child. She then turned to her master. "Could you get Gohan? I think He'd like to see his daughter."

"Sure, it looks like you got this anyway." Tsunade waved off before going to fetch Gohan.

"We aren't done yet, the next one is starting to crown." Ino reported.

"Right. Videl, I'm sorry. But I need to hold on to Fasha for a little bit longer. And you need to focus on getting your son out." Sakura stated.

Videl reluctantly nodded and handed Fasha back over to Sakura. Little Fasha fuzzed even more, but she was no match for her stronger godmother.

"Okay, Videl. I need you to give me one good push, okay?" Ino instructed.

"Okay..." Videl said as she concentrated on her lower muscles.

Another contraction hit her full force and she grunted hard, pushing with all her might.

"Push, push, push...keep going..." Ino called out until the head was out. "And relax."

Videl panted like a dog. That had to be one of the hardest things she had ever done. A 350x gravity didn't even compare.

"Okay, the head is out." Ino said as she got right to work opening the airway. Immediately after, the baby started crying. "Okay, just one more push Videl. Whenever you're ready."

Videl puffed out two deep breaths. "Let's do this."

"Alright, push hard." Ino ordered. It was in that moment that Gohan and Tsunade entered the room, dressed in scrubs just as Videl was about to push.

"Hey Gohan." Sakura greeted happily. "Your daughter wants to say hi."

"My daughter..." He repeated as he looked down at the bundle in Sakura's arms and the tiny little hands reaching up, trying to grasp the whole world.

"Yup. Fasha is her name. Your son is on his way now." Sakura beamed. Gohan carefully took the bundle from Sakura's arms, where Fasha started crying being in yet another new pair of arms.

"Hey...it's okay sweetie..." Gohan said softly, making Fasha open her eyes.

Gohan immediately felt his heart melt when he saw those gorgeous blue eyes that his daughter inherited from Videl. "Hey...I'm your daddy..." Gohan said as his eyes started to mist up. Fasha soon stopped fussing and relaxed in her father's arms. Instinctively, Gohan's tail wrapped around her protectively, Fasha's followed suit by wrapping it around her fathers. To Saiyan babies, the tail is a comfort seeker. to intertwine their tail with the parents, it was a sign of comfort and trust and was almost like a lifeline.

Gohan felt his heart skip a beat.

"Keep pushing. Almost there!" Ino called out as Videl was giving it her all in one final push.

"I'm trying! He's being more difficult than his sister!" Videl cried.

"Just keep going! You're doing great." Ino encouraged.

Videl bared down with everything she had and in that moment...

"He's out!" Ino called.

Videl relaxed and went unconscious. Baring down like she did caused the blood to stop flowing to her brain briefly which was enough to make her pass out.

"Videl?" Ino asked, but she didn't respond. She was out cold.

"She bared down too hard." Sakura said before inspecting her abdomen. "Her aorta is intact. So, she didn't suffer the same cause as her mother."

"Is she going to be okay?" Gohan asked with concern.

"Yes, Gohan. She'll be just fine. Now, how about you come on over and cut the cord to your son?" Sakura suggested.

Gohan nodded and made his way over to Videl's bed where Ino handed him a pair of sheers.

"Here, let me take Fasha." Ino said.

Gohan was surprised by how reluctant he was to let go of his daughter, but complied. It tore at his heart to watch her tail cling to his. He figured if Ino could just stand within arm's length of Gohan, then his and his daughter's tails wouldn't separate and that would keep her calm. Ino caught on to what Gohan was doing and stayed close to him as he reached down and cut his sons cord. Gohan smiled as Sakura wrapped a blanket around his son. The most striking feature he had was spiky hair just like his fathers. If he knew his families tree like he did, his grandfather and brother had the same hair style. Having his mind made up, he came up with a name to fit it.

"Bardock..." He said softly.

"Bardock? That's an interesting name." Ino said.

"It's my grandfather's name. You saw him over the descry sphere, remember?"

"No, we didn't. We only saw the guys running on Snake Way." Ino corrected.

"Oh..." Gohan sweat dropped. This whole ordeal has made him absent minded.

"Gohan..." Videl groaned as she began to come back to life.

"Easy now...you pushed a little too hard there." Sakura said.

Videl shook her off. "My babies. Where are my babies. I want to hold them."

"Right here..." Gohan said softly as he walked over with Bardock in his arms.

"Give them to me." She ordered, sounding completely exhausted. Gohan handed Bardock over to Videl while Ino held Fasha close by.

"Ahem." Videl coughed.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Ino said sheepishly before carefully handing Fasha over.

"Don't worry, Ino. You can hold your godchild later." Gohan said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ino asked.

"Oh right. We didn't tell you. Me and Videl put a lot of thought into this, but if you'd be willing. We would love for you and Choji to be the godparents of our second child." Gohan smiled brightly.

Ino gasped at the proposal. "Y-you...really mean it...?"

"We do." Gohan said on behalf of his wife who was busy cuddling with her babies on either arm.

"I... I-I don't know what to say..." Ino breathed out.

"Really? that's a first." Sakura teased before removing her mask.

"You could say yes." Gohan smiled.

"O-of course, yes, I'd be honored!" Ino squealed with joy. She gave Gohan a hug, which the half Saiyan graciously accepted.

"Welcome to the family, Ino..." Videl smiled.

* * *

The next hour was an influx of all the friends Gohan and Videl had made over the last 6 months. Mostly just the Konoha 11 and their sensei.

"Amazing work you two." Tsunade said to both Sakura and Ino.

"It was nothing M'Lady." Sakura waved off.

"I felt it was something. You both handled yourselves well when the circumstances changed. This has made my decision much easier."

The two girls both raised an eyebrow. "What decision?" Ino asked.

Tsunade looked at Sakura. "Sakura...I have been thinking a lot about my current position in this village...though I may not look it, I'm pushing 55 years old, but I am beginning to feel it."

Before Sakura could respond, Tsunade stopped her. "I need to focus on one job at a time. I can't keep juggling back and forth between Hokage and Head Medic. It's wearing me out."

"Well I'm certain that Shizune is up to the task." Sakura said.

"No, she's not. She's pregnant and she's got a child of her own to raise soon enough." Tsunade countered. "So... I only have one choice."

"Wha-what are you..."

"Sakura Haruno...on the day of your 18th birthday, I'm handing the title of head medic over to you." Tsunade declared.

The whole room went silent. All the attention that the Son twins had been hogging for the last hour finally ceased.

"Bu-but I can't just take over. There is still so much for me to learn." Sakura stammered.

"And you shall learn it. You still have two years left until your 18th birthday. More than enough time to get you prepared for the task." Tsunade stated. "However, there really isn't much for you to learn. I've taught you almost everything I know. In terms of skill, you are my equal. In terms of strength, you have far surpassed me. In terms of willpower, the Will of Fire burns stronger in you than it does within me... I wouldn't be announcing this now if I didn't think you were ready. If it wasn't for the age restriction, I'd pass on the title now as you are."

"Where there is the whole administrative process, delegation, managing the other doctors, working with the board of directors, allocating funds to the departments of the hospital where needed, and setting the standard for all medical ninja serving in the Leaf forces." Shizune listed off from behind Tsunade.

"Yes, that too." Tsunade nodded. "This will also mean that your number of missions outside of the village will dwindle significantly. So, I'll have Kakashi find another addition to team 7." Tsunade added.

"Hey, once I've recovered, I'll be good to-"

"Leave your newborns behind to go on missions? I don't think so." Tsunade denied, much to Videl's chagrin. "Besides, even including you, Team 7 would still be short one member. I was thinking Sai could fill the gap, but I'm also juggling with the idea of disbanding the team for now and have Naruto take on his own Genin team."

"Wait, what? What?!" Naruto exclaimed in shock.

"Yup. I'm thinking that in a year or two we could have you being promoted to Jounin and Kakashi could return to the ranks of the Jounin squads. You could train the newest generation of Team 7, Naruto." Tsunade offered.

"Wha...bu-you...EHH?!" Naruto stammered in complete astonishment. Never before had he been at loss for words.

"I second that." Sakura said.

"EH?! You too Sakura-chan?!"

"Why not? I'm incapacitated for a while, Sakura is going to be extra busy with the hospital and further training, Gohan is still whipping the rest of the Neo Z-Fighters into shape, that just leaves you with basically nothing to do but train. Might as well train a squad of Genin." Videl shrugged.

"I've got no problems with this plan." Kakashi chimed in.

"Can't think of anyone else better." Gohan smiled.

"Yea, come on Naruto! If you can take on a Frost Demon, you can train a bunch of greenhorn Genin." Ino smirked.

"Y-you all think that..." Naruto stammered as he looked upon the smiling faces of his friends.

"You know, now that I think about it. Neji has been a Jounin for over a year and hasn't trained his own team yet." Tsunade mused.

"Because I chose not to." Neji stated over in the corner of the room.

"And what if I said that we have a lot of new Genin and not enough Jounin to teach them?" Tsunade said, half sternly.

"I'd remind you of my right as a Jounin to choose not to train Genin for any reason and that the Hokage does not have the power to force me to do so." Neji said coolly.

Tsunade sighed. "Well, it was worth a try..."

"Wait, how many new ones?" Naruto asked.

"About 30." Tsunade replied.

"Isn't that the exact number our graduating class had?" Naruto pointed out.

"Yes, but the difference between your class and theirs is you had enough Jounin to be trained. Kurenai is out of commission and Asuma has requested to take leave to take care of her until she gives birth. Kakashi has other matters to tend to, Gai is still recovering from the blast he took to his spine, and the only Jounin available doesn't want to train a team. So..." She said before she looked to the entirety of Konoha 11.

"What are you suggesting...?" Tenten asked a little nervously.

"I'm going to have..." She started, putting all of them on the edge of their seats. "The Neo Z-Fighters train these Genin."

"Wha...you want my team to train them?" Gohan asked in bewilderment.

"Can you do it? It would be after Christmas and New Year's." Tsunade all but begged.

"Um, Lady Tsunade. It would look bad for the Leaf if we had outsiders training our Genin." Shizune spoke up.

"Yes it would...however, I think I can manage it myself." Gohan said.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You? train 30 genin...all by yourself?"

"I can use Shadow Clones and the Multiform Technique. I've got it covered." Gohan assured.

"Hmm..." Tsunade mused as she was deep in thought, then remembered why she was here. "Well...we'll discuss it later."

"Yes, especially since Christmas came to Videl a little early." Sakura smiled.

Videl smiled before looking down at her two newborns. "It was sooner than I wanted but...I'm happy they're here."

"Well I don't know about you, but this is the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten." Gohan said as he kissed Videl's cheek.

"Mine too." Videl said happily. "It's a shame I can't wrap up Christmas shopping now."

"That reminds me..." Sakura started. "What were you doing at the medical supplies shop anyway?"

Videl froze at Sakura's line of questioning.

"Oh you know, hanging around."

"You know only trained medical personnel are allowed in there. Not even Jounin are allowed in there without some kind of medical background." Tsunade said.

"Which was why it's a great place to hang out. I'm not tempted to buy anything there." Videl fibbed.

"Videl...you can't even get in there without proper ID." Gohan said.

 _'You wanna back me up on this one?'_ She thought angrily.

"Maybe she went in there for help." Hinata chimed in.

"Hey yea, that makes sense." Tenten said. "She knew she was about to go into labor so she went in there to get help."

 _'Love you both so much right now.'_ Videl thought privately to the both of them.

"Hmm...yea I can see where that makes sense." Sakura shrugged before she laughed. "There for a minute, I thought you were in there Christmas shopping."

"Oh man, have you seen those new vein finder things?" Ino asked.

"Pffft...that is so for first year students. That would be an insult if I actually got one." Sakura chuckled. Videl actually flinched when Sakura said that, thankfully without her noticing.

"What, you're telling me you don't see the appeal in finding a vein much more easily while out in the field?" Ino argued.

"Well...okay, on the field I can see where they might have a use. But here? Please..."

"Actually, I just put in an order for 20 of them for hospital use, thank you." Tsunade grumbled.

"Huh? Why?" Sakura asked.

"Because there are a lot of civilian doctors and nurses here that can't find their way out of a paper bag with a flashlight let alone find a proper vein to start an IV. So, they are mostly for them." Tsunade informed.

"Well then they need to be trained better or fired. If you want to keep them in first-aid kits for civilians to use, that's fine, but a doctor and a nurse should know how to find a vein." Sakura stated.

"Sakura...how many civilians do you think will be sticking people with needles?" Tsunade deadpanned.

"I'm saying in an emergency like say if the village were under attack and all the professional medical personal were tied up, an untrained civilian could pick up a first-aid kit and use the vein finder as needed."

"And how often do you think that will happen when you, Naruto, Gohan and Videl are the strongest on this planet?" Tsunade pointed out, leaving Sakura unable to respond. "Exactly. It's better to have them on hand and not need them than to need them and not have them. Plus, the field medics will be getting some in time."

Sakura just sighed in defeat. "Alright..."

"That's one of the things you need to learn, Sakura." Tsunade said. "Sometimes you need to have certain medical equipment despite how you feel about them."

"Yea...I guess..." Sakura sighed before she was handed a clip board on Fasha's test results. She smiled after she read it. "Well, Fasha is A-Okay. Nothing showed up and she is perfectly healthy."

Videl sighed in relief as she nuzzled her daughter closer. "That's fantastic news..."

"Your tests also came back clean and so did Bardock's. I don't see why you couldn't go home tomorrow." Sakura said.

"Actually, if that could wait a few days..." Naruto spoke up.

"Huh? Why?" Videl asked.

"Cause me and Gohan have a surprise for you that we thought we had another month to get done." Naruto said vaguely.

At that, Gohan went pale. "Oh geez! I forgot about that!"

"Yeah. So, if he and I could run back to your house, we might be able to get it done by tomorrow night." Naruto said as he looked at his watch that didn't exist.

Gohan looked at Sakura and Tsunade pleadingly.

"Yea sure, go ahead." Sakura waved off. "I got the rest handled for a while."

"Same, go take care of what you need to do." Tsunade agreed.

"Awesome, thanks!" Gohan smiled brightly.

"Mind if we pitch in?" Tenten asked with Lee nodding.

"Not at all. We could use the extra hands." Gohan said.

"YOSH! Let's help put together Videl's surprise!" Lee declared. At that, the 4 of them left quickly to go put everything together.

"Do any of you have any idea what the surprise is?" Videl asked.

"Not a clue." Sakura lied.

"Oh, come on, you gotta know." Videl pressed.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" Sakura smirked.

Videl just puffed out her cheeks before Fasha started fussing.

"Sounds like she's hungry." Sakura pointed out.

"Oh..." Videl said nervously. "Right, so I just...plop out my girls and she takes care of the rest?"

"Yes, essentially." Sakura said.

"Okay...um..." Videl said nervously as she looked upon her friends. She carefully untied her hospital gown and brought Fasha close to her chest. After a little encouragement, Little Fasha grasped onto her mother's tit and began suckling away.

"Awe...that's so adorable..." Ino gushed.

"It tickles. Almost like when Gohan...ah...never mind." Videl said sheepishly.

 _'Like when he licks them?'_ Sakura thought to Videl.

 _'Yes, that.'_ Videl replied.

 _'What's to be embarrassed about? We've literally all done it. To each other I might add.'_ Ino jumped into the conversation.

 _'It's Lady Tsunade and Shizune who don't know. Plus, the nurses present.'_

 _'Lady Tsunade most certainly knows. And therefore, Shizune knows.'_ Sakura corrected.

 _'Huh? How?'_

 _'She has her ways. Don't ask me how I know.'_ Sakura shuttered.

 _'Great...'_ Videl groaned.

 _'Hey, if she hasn't given you crap about it by now, she never intends too.'_ Sakura thought.

 _'I guess...'_

"Hey, cheer up, because I think Bardock is Hungry too." Sakura pointed out. Videl looked down to see that Bardock was trying to latch on but was just out of reach.

"Aww...come here baby." She cooed as she brought Bardock closer where he could feed too. He happily suckled on Videl as well. Now the twins could eat in synchronization while their mother held them close.

"Isn't that adorable?" Hinata gushed to Kiba.

"Yeah, they look like puppies." Kiba smiled.

"Awww...I want one now..." Ino gushed.

"Oh no way. I'm putting my foot down on that one." Choji said.

"I didn't mean now." Ino deadpanned.

Choji breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good, it's hard to know when you are serious or not."

"Yea...it would be nice..." Sakura sighed contently. "I'm warming up to the idea more and more, but I still wanna wait longer."

"Hey, you're young only once." Tsunade shrugged.

"That's right, and I wanna live out the rest of my teens and most of my twenties living my life to its fullest before having a family." Sakura said firmly.

"Sakura...let me be honest with you." Videl started. "Lady Tsunade is giving you the title of head medic when you turn 18. How often do you think you're going to have to actually live like a teenager?"

"I'm a ninja. I sacrificed my normal teenage life long ago." Sakura shrugged.

"Well...your teen life is normal for this world." Videl mused. "Maybe I'm just comparing to my life."

"Yeah. As someone who has actual civilian cousins, our way of life is not normal. Civilian girls my age don't go fighting space aliens or deliver babies every other day." Sakura mused.

"What exactly is a normal teen life in your world?" Hinata asked.

"In mine? Hmm...parties, sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. Not me though." Videl said.

"No schoolwork or dating?" Ino inquired.

"Well there was that too. Most of the time students would skip class for various reasons. I never stayed in the gossip loop."

"Wow, when kids did that in our school they had to spar with the instructors." Ino reminisced.

"Mostly it was just Naruto, Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru." Sakura pointed out.

"And Shino." Kiba added.

"No, I was one of the good kids." Shino said. "You four were the ones always getting into trouble."

"Yea...but it was worth it." Kiba said.

Then Ino thought about something. "Wait a minute. Sakura, YOU skipped class in our second year that one time!"

"What are you talking about? I never did that." Sakura said.

"Yes, you did! I remember that day well. You were in class for all but 20 minutes before you went to the bathroom and never came back."

"Uh...how old were we?"

"7."

"7...ooohh, I know what you mean." Sakura realized. "I got sick and was sent home."

"Well that's boring." Kiba said.

"But when you came back you were fine." Ino pointed out.

"I was sent home on a Friday..." Sakura deadpanned.

"Oh...that makes sense." Ino said sheepishly.

"What about that one time a week later?" Hinata asked.

"What one was that?" Sakura asked.

"It was during lunch. Sasuke left the classroom and you followed after him and never came back." Hinata informed.

Now Sakura was blushing. "What do you think?"

"Wait, you were following him? Where the hell was I?!" Ino exclaimed.

"You were out sick. You caught Sakura's bug." Shikamaru reminded her.

"Oh yeah." Ino remembered.

"I'm sorry, what was the point of this story?" Sakura asked.

"That you skipped class like the rest of us." Kiba pointed out.

"It was just that one time!" Sakura defended.

"Still counts." Ino smirked.

"Oh, come on, you skipped more than I did, Ino-pig." Sakura fumed.

"Yea, you're point? I'm not the one trying to make myself look like the model student here."

"I wasn't trying make myself look like anything. You're the one who brought it up." Sakura accused Ino.

"Yea, okay. You were always the one to have your nose in the books." Ino shot back.

That's when Videl remembered something. "That reminds me..."

"What?" Sakura asked.

Then Videl thought about it and shook her head. "Never mind, it's not important."

* * *

The next evening, in the Son garage, the four warriors had been hard at work all night constructing their surprise for Videl. Two of them to be precise. Gohan and Videl had been lucky to fall into this universe with so much advanced technology, but the one thing that wasn't included in their many Capsule pills were basic wood carving tools. A few months ago, Naruto had convinced Gohan to build these two gifts traditionally the way Naruto's own father had taught him. Gohan was hesitant, but absolutely loved the idea of handcrafting two cribs for his newborns. Just like the fathers and grandfathers of yesteryear would do to celebrate the arrival of a new baby. Thank God that Tenten and Lee had volunteered though. Even with Naruto's Shadow Clones and Tenten's crafting knowhow, they were hard pressed to finish the cradles on time.

Currently, Gohan was sanding the peg of one of the cradle bars while Naruto worked on making sure that both lengths of Fasha's crib could be unhinged and lowered with ease.

Tenten and Lee meanwhile were putting the finishing touches on Bardock's crib. Painting on a second layer of baby blue and making sure that the legs were even.

"Seriously. Thank you guys again for helping out. Me and Naruto could have never gotten this done in time." Gohan sighed with relief. They weren't done yet, but they could certainly see the shore off on the horizon.

"Think nothing of it." Tenten said happily.

"Yosh, it is our pleasure to help a friend in need. Especially during the most youthful of occasions." Lee cheered.

"And I greatly appreciate it. I'm gonna go make us something to eat. Something you guys have never had before." Gohan offered.

"What would that be?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You'll see." Gohan said simply before heading inside to cook.

"Any idea what he's making?" Tenten asked as Gohan disappeared.

"Not a clue." Naruto said in confusion.

About 20 minutes later, Gohan emerged with a large round pan in the palm of his hand.

"What is that?" Tenten asked before getting hit with the smell.

"Whatever it is, it smells really good." Lee stated.

"A staple dish in my world. It's called pizza." Gohan said as he set the pan down on the workbench.

They looked on in awe at the large, pie shaped dish. Melted, bubbling cheese topped with pepperoni, red peppers, sausage, ham, bacon, mushrooms and black olives. The smell alone was making the 3 ninja drool in anticipation.

"Eat up, I just got a look at the clock. It's 7 o'clock, Videl and the babies will be home any minute." Gohan pressed.

"That's cutting it close. Especially if you want to put your kids to bed before the paint dries on the cribs." Tenten warned.

"Crap...um...what do I do?" Gohan asked.

"You convince your no doubt exhausted wife to not put the kids to bed for a bit." Tenten said plainly.

"Alright... That can work." Gohan nodded when he sensed 5 energy signatures approaching. "They're almost here!"

Gohan and Tenten looked over at Naruto and Lee, who for some reason were both blowing on the painted cribs.

"Will you two knock it off? That won't help it any." Tenten deadpanned.

"Well, the paint needs to dry, right?" Naruto asked.

"Not like that!" Tenten snapped just as the front door knob started to turn.

"Crap. You guys finish up here, I'll get the door." Gohan said as he flew out of the garage into the kitchen and down the hallway to the front door.

Gohan stopped when he saw Sakura and Mebuki helping Videl and the twins inside.

"Oh...hey Gohan..." Videl greeted tiredly.

"Hey babe, you're home early." Gohan said as he stepped in to kiss her hello.

"Actually, I'm late. These too kept fussing and delaying the paperwork." Videl said as she nodded towards their two bundles of joy.

"They miss their dad." Sakura smiled.

"Yes...Can you take them for a bit? I need a nap..." Videl yawned.

"Heh...That's funny." Mebuki commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Videl asked.

"Honey, if you think you're tired now, wait a while. They'll be waking you up every two hours for all sorts of reasons. At least Sakura did."

"Mooooom..." Sakura groaned.

"Oh hush. It's true. In any case, I think those two could do with a nap. You as well, Videl." Mebuki lectured.

"Agreed..." Videl yawned before looking at Gohan. "So what was the surprise?"

"It's in the garage. Come on, I'll show you." Gohan said.

Videl raised an eyebrow, but carefully handled Fasha and Bardock over to Mebuki before following her husband info the garage.

The garage was dark and she couldn't see a thing, however she could sense three other people in there.

"Turn on a light maybe?" Videl said.

"Sure thing." Gohan nodded and flipped on the light.

Videl had to cover her mouth as she failed to stop her gasping at seeing her friends standing around two handmade cribs, one blue and one pink.

"Ta-dah!" Naruto exclaimed.

"OH my god...you guys..." Videl choked out.

"You like it? It was all Naruto's idea." Gohan wrapped his arms around Videl's shoulders from behind.

"I love it...thank you so much guys..."

"Yosh, no problem Videl. It was our pleasure." Lee smiled, giving her the thumbs up.

"Anytime. Just wait a few hours before putting them to bed. The paint is still wet." Naruto smiled.

"Yes of course..." Videl said as Mebuki and Sakura entered the garage.

"Oh my goodness. What's all this?" Mebuki excitedly inquired.

"Naruto made the babies cribs..." Videl cried happily.

"And he did a wonderful job." Sakura smiled.

"Ah, I can't take all the credit." Naruto blushed. "Tenten and Bushy Brows really saved us with their help."

"Well, now Naruto can make cribs for Sakura when the time comes. nothing much, about 5 or 6." Mebuki teased.

"We'll see. That won't be for many years though." Sakura said as she walked around to observe the craftsmanship.

"I want grandchildren and I don't wanna wait till I'm so old that I can't spoil them."

"Then you'll have to have another daughter and quick." Sakura teased.

"Um...about that..." Mebuki said, making Sakura freeze in her tracks.

"Mom...you didn't." Sakura said going bug eyed at her mother's belly.

"Sakura." Mebuki said nervously. "I...got you..."

"What...?" Sakura asked.

"I got you good." Mebuki repeated with a very Naruto like smirk. Sakura just fell over backwards.

"You mind not scaring me like that?!" Sakura snapped. Fasha and Bardock's eyes snapped open and started crying.

"Sakura! Now look what you did." Videl scolded as she tried to get her kids to stop crying.

"Wha-I didn't mean to..."

"Man... now it's going to take me forever to quiet them down." Videl groaned as she cradled Fasha while Gohan cradled Bardock.

"Honestly, Sakura. You can't shout while babies are sleeping." Mebuki scolded.

"You..." Sakura pointed an accusatory finger.

"Don't give me that, young lady. It was merely a joke and you lost your temper like always." Mebuki scowled.

Sakura was fuming so much that she was actually shaking, only to be wrapped up in a hug from behind by Naruto.

 _'Just take it easy, Sakura-chan. It isn't worth getting upset about.'_ Naruto thought to her.

 _'But she-'_

 _'Is weird, I know. But don't say anything...it isn't worth it.'_

Sakura sighed and relaxed into Naruto's arms. _'Fine...I'm sorry...'_

 _'It's not your fault. Your mom riled you up. First rule of pranking, Sakura-chan. Know the victim's reaction.'_ Naruto soothed.

 _'Yea I guess...'_ Sakura said before she saw Gohan and Videl cradling their now quiet children and smiled. _'That will be us one day...'_

 _'Yup. You'll be there, looking as beautiful as I've ever seen you, holding our baby. While I hug you both protectively. And all will be right with the world."_

 _'I know...'_ Sakura sighed contently. _'I can't wait for that day...'_

* * *

A week later, on Christmas morning.

Sakura was suddenly awoken from a deep sleep by the banging on her bedroom door. Sakura had decided to give Naruto his present early and they were up most of the night.

"Come on you two. Time to get up!" Kizashi called from the other side of the door.

"Ugh...give us a few more hours..." Sakura groaned, her hair a complete mess.

"What? But it's time for presents!" Kizashi stated.

"Present..." Sakura said sleepily before it donned on her. "OH presents! I forgot!" Sakura exclaimed before jumping out of bed, slipping on a robe over her naked body. "Naruto! Up and at'em!"

"Zzzzz, hmmm, what?" Naruto snored.

"Naruto! Presents! Now!" Sakura exclaimed as she slipped on a pair of Naruto's boxers.

"Huh...? It's not my birthday..." Naruto yawned.

"It's Christmas, Baka!"

"Oh...okay..." Naruto yawned before rolling back over.

 _'3...2...1...'_ Sakura counted mentally before Naruto shot up from bed.

"It's Christmas!" Naruto exclaimed. "Why are you wearing my boxers?"

"Because I can." Sakura smirked. "Now hurry up and throw some pants on."

"Way ahead of you." Naruto said as he put on a pair of clean boxers and a shirt.

"Good. Because I wanna see what you got me." Sakura winked.

"Trust me. You're gonna love it." Naruto smiled as he kissed her forehead. She giggled a little before the two of them went downstairs.

"Bout time you sleepyheads woke up. It's after 11." Mebuki smiled.

"Is it really?" Sakura asked in shock before looking at the clock on the wall. It read 11:07. "Wow...Well, we did have a late night."

"I know, we heard." Mebuki teased. Naruto and Sakura blushed hard.

"Come on, dear. Stop teasing them. It's time to open presents." Kizashi smiled.

"Alright, this one is from me and Sakura." Mebuki said as handed Kizashi a present.

"Oh yea? I wonder if it's that new pair of slippers I was eyeing." Kizashi said as he tore into the wrapping paper.

He opened it all up to find something worth more than a pair of slippers. It was a golden watch with 3 different colored stones on the top of the watch face. "Oh wow...You didn't have to get me this..."

"Well we wanted to." Sakura smiled.

Kizashi brought both his girls in for a warm hug. "Thank you both..."

This continued on for a while. Mebuki got a new apron and a sapphire necklace, Kizashi got the slippers and a new robe on top of the watch, Sakura got a new dress and some books while Naruto got a froggy clock and some limited edition ramen flavors. Now it was down to their gifts to each other.

"Alright, Sakura-chan. This one is from me." Naruto said as he handed her a rather small present.

"Oh Naruto, is this jewelry? You didn't have to get me anything like that." Sakura said as she unwrapped the red ribbon.

"Maybe I wanted to." Naruto smiled as Sakura got all the paper off. Once she saw what the box was, she gasped loudly.

"Naruto...You...Got me a ring...?" Kizashi and Mebuki's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets upon hearing this.

"A wedding ring?!" Kizashi shrieked.

"No, not a wedding ring." Naruto clarified.

They all turned to Sakura when they heard her gasp again and start crying.

"It's... Nana's ring..." Sakura sobbed with joy.

"What?" Mebuki said as she stepped over shredded wrapping paper to inspect the gift. She was astonished to see a perfect replication of her mother's favorite ring.

"I knew how much that ring meant to you, so I bought you one that was similar." Naruto said happily.

"My god...You wonderful man, Naruto..." Mebuki choked out.

Naruto didn't have a chance to respond for he was suddenly glomped by Sakura, who kissed every inch of his face.

"This is better than an engagement ring...You beautiful, beautiful baka..." Sakura cried.

"Aw, it ain't nothing compared to what you guys have given me." Naruto said to the entire Haruno family.

"It's way more than I could've hoped for..." Sakura cried as she locked her lips with his.

Naruto melted into her kiss before coming back up for air. "Yeah, but you guys gave me a family and a home for Christmas. That's the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten."

"You selfless baka..." Sakura smiled through her happy tears before getting the present she got for him. "This is for you..."

Naruto looked at it and it seemed to be in the shape of a picture frame. Curiosity getting the best of him, he opened it and went wide eyed. It was a picture...Of him, Sakura and his parents when they were on King Kai's planet

"Wha-how?" Naruto shook with melancholy.

"The last time Whis was here...I had him create a photo of the four of us and this was the result."

"It's amazing. I love it." Naruto breathed. His first ever photo with his parents."

"I'm glad...I had to cook homemade Ramen for him just to agree to it."

"Well, there's two more presents for you two." Mebuki chirped as she handed them to each one. "Gohan stopped by last night. Said that they wouldn't be able to make it to the Christmas party because of the babies. So he dropped these off."

Naruto and Sakura dove into opening their presents, Sakura being the first to open hers.

"Oh my god! It's a copy of Gohan's cookbook!" Sakura beamed.

"Wait, Gohan has a cookbook?" Naruto asked.

"No, it's just a book of his mother's recipes." Sakura clarified.

"Awesome! His mom really...Knows..." Naruto trailed off when he finished opening his present and fell short of what to say.

"What's wrong?" Kizashi asked.

Naruto reached into the box and pulled out a brand new three-pronged kunai.

"Oh my God...Your dad's kunai..." Sakura gasped.

Naruto nodded wordlessly before taking the note off the handle to read it.

 _"Merry Christmas, Naruto. Sorry we couldn't be there to give this to you in person, but I knew how much this Kunai meant to you after Danzo broke it. Tenten made it with a special high quality metal meant for Chakra based attacks. However, you'll have to make the seal for your dad's jutsu. Also, I wanted to get Sakura a vein finder, but after the other day, I don't think she would've liked it. Anyway, have a good Christmas._

 _-Gohan, Videl, Bardock and Fasha."_

At that, everyone went silent, not knowing what to say.

"Oh my god..." Naruto breathed out.

"Shoot, if this isn't a Christmas to remember." Kizashi stated.

"I know..." Sakura smiled as she admired her ring.

"I can help you make a seal for that." Mebuki offered.

"On my ring?" Sakura asked.

"I was talking to your husband, dear." Mebuki teased.

"Dang it Mom, we're not married yet!" Sakura stated.

"Oh, like I'm going to give you away to anyone else now." Kizashi stated.

"Yea. As far as I'm concerned, no one is good enough to be with you other than Naruto." Mebuki stated.

"Aw shucks." Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Gee, mom..." Sakura blushed happily.

* * *

At the Son's, they were having their first Christmas as a family.

"Okay my little angle." Videl said as she lifted up Fasha.

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Fasha shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"My, someone is cranky this morning. Is that anyway to act on your first Christmas?" Videl smiled. Fasha just kept screaming, for she was a baby that had little to no knowledge about social protocol.

Fasha stopped crying for a moment to look at her mother.

"That's right sweetie. Wanna see what you got for presents?" Videl asked sweetly.

Fasha blew bubbles with her spit, which Videl interpreted as compliance.

"That's my girl." Videl smiled. _'Gohan? How's my little man doing?'_

 _'Hungry. Switch?'_

Videl sighed. _'Yea, I'll be there in a minute. Come take Fasha.'_

 _'Sure thing.'_ Gohan replied. Soon Videl was greeted by her husband and a wailing Bardock.

"He peed on me, earlier." Gohan said before the smell hit Videl.

"Yea I can smell that. Here, take her and open up some presents. I'll be there in a minute."

"Is there any point until we've calmed them down?" Gohan asked.

Videl deadpanned while Fasha giggled as she played with her mother's necklace.

"Right...Point taken..." Gohan sweat dropped before they switched babies.

"Whoa, so how is my little princess doing?" Gohan asked Fasha.

Fasha blew raspberries at Gohan then giggled.

"I think that should tell you." Videl smiled before she opened her robe for Bardock to feed.

Upon smelling his mother's chest, Bardock immediately ceased his crying and latched onto her teat.

"Well, now they're happy." Gohan smiled.

"Yup...we might actually do this after all." Videl said happily.

"Not like we have a choice." Gohan laughed.

"True." Videl giggled.

After a few more hours, the twins finally settled down enough to take a nap, which the two exhausted parents were more grateful for than any conceivable Christmas present.

"Oh man...I never knew raising kids would be so exhausting..." Videl groaned.

"Believe me, I know."

"Yea, I know you do. You helped raise Goten." Videl said as she popped her neck a couple times.

"It's only just beginning. We still have a long way to go." Gohan informed.

"Tell me about it. I definitely wasn't expecting to spend our first Christmas in the Leaf like this. That's for sure." Videl said.

"Yea...maybe we should have waited a year...oh well..." Gohan sighed.

"In hindsight, yea I agree. But it just kind of happened..." Videl mused.

"Not that I regret it one bit." Gohan stated as he looked down at his two little angles curled up in their cribs.

"No, not in the slightest..." Videl sighed happily.

"Try for more in a few years?" Gohan asked.

"IF they are as adorable as these two are, you know it." Videl smirked.

That was when they heard someone knocking on the door.

"I got it." Videl said as she made her way to the door. Videl opened the door to find Naruto and Sakura with two bags of gifts. "Hey guys! I thought you'd be at the Christmas party." Videl greeted.

"We were, but these are from everyone." Sakura informed as fresh snow fell on their heads.

"Oh...well in that case, come on in. Just be quiet, we just put the kids down for a nap." Videl advised.

"Gotcha." Naruto whispered. "Finally a use for all that stealth training." He muttered sarcastically.

"Funny..." Videl deadpanned before letting them in. Once inside, Videl closed the door behind them while they shed their winter clothes.

"How you holding up?" Sakura asked.

"Ugh...its hell right now..." Videl groaned.

"Really?" Naruto asked.

"Well...maybe I was being a little harsh. despite getting up every two hours and not having any quality alone time, it's okay. It's a good thing Gohan had experience with raising his brother."

"Yes, experience always helps." Sakura agreed as the 3 of them made their way to the living room and sat down on the couch.

"So I assume since you're practically glowing, Sakura, that you gave Naruto his present early." Videl smirked.

"Oh did she ever." Naruto all but drooled.

"Sure did. Thanks for the advice on the outfit." Sakura said.

"Anytime. Would love to get plowed right now but I'm still healing..." Videl grumbled.

"Well, maybe I can help with that later." Sakura offered.

"In what way?" Videl asked.

"Well I was gonna see about speeding up your recovery. But if you want help in the other way...I can do that too..." Sakura said seductively.

Videl smirked. "Careful...I haven't had any in 3 weeks and I'm likely to pounce on you..."

 _'Oh sweet Sage, is this really happening? Thank you, God. I take back everything I've ever said.'_ Naruto thought to himself. Sakura just looked at Videl with bedroom eyes.

"I might just let you and let our boyfriends watch." Sakura purred.

That was when Gohan emerged from the babies' room and saw the way Videl and Sakura were looking at each other.

"Did I...Miss something?"

"Just our better halves being awesome again." Naruto smiled.

"Oh yea? In what way?"

"What way do you think?" Naruto smirked. Gohan looked at them again, only this time they were practically all over one another.

"Sweet." Gohan smirked.

The two men quickly retreated to the kitchen and came back with eggnog to sip while they watched the show.

"Merry Christmas, Gohan." Naruto said.

"Merry Christmas, Naruto." Gohan said as they toasted their glasses.

"You boys enjoying the show?" Sakura asked.

"Oh yea." Naruto smirked.

"Well, tough." Videl said as she and Sakura pulled away. "If you want more, you're gonna have to earn it."

"What she said." Sakura nodded.

"Also, I didn't hear a thank you for that Kunai." Videl smirked.

"Oh, my bad." Naruto said sheepishly before he walked up to Videl and quickly pecked her on the cheek. "Thank you...It was one of the best presents I've ever gotten."

Videl blushed and turned her head. "It was the least I could do..."

 _'Baka! What was all that about?!'_ Sakura scolded mentally.

 _'I was just saying thank you...I wasn't going to tongue her like I did with you. Besides, look above you.'_

Sakura looked up to see mistletoe hanging above them. _'Alright, you're forgiven...'_

 _'Um, thank you?'_

"So anyway. Yea, we've got a bunch of presents for you guys." Sakura said as she opened up the bags of presents that were of varying sizes.

"Aw, thank you." Videl said.

"It's from everyone." Naruto said as Gohan opened the first one.

His eyes went wide when he pulled out a surprisingly detailed wood carving of a serpent like dragon.

"Oh wow...is that Shenron?" Videl asked in awe.

"Yea it is...wow man, this is amazing." Gohan said happily.

"Thank you. I carved it with my dad." Naruto said proudly.

"It's really awesome. I know just where to put it." Gohan said as he walked over and placed it on his entertainment stand.

"Glad you like it. A little thanks for all the training." Naruto said as he pulled out the next gift for Videl.

"Oh, I wonder what this is." Videl said as she opened it up. She unwrapped the paper and found a framed photo of Videl, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi all standing together.

"Oh wow..." Videl breathed out. She looked at the picture lovingly as Naruto stood in between her and Sakura, his arms draped over their shoulders with his signature grin, herself and Sakura both smiling with Kakashi standing behind them.

"We finally got the team pictures back. You've got the first ever copy." Naruto said.

"Thank you so much guys..." Videl said happily as she pulled them both in for a hug that soon turned bone crushing. Fortunately, the two of them had long since learned to hold their breath and rode out the hug. Videl released them and put the picture on the coffee table.

"We also got the kids something." Sakura said as she pulled out two cute little stuffed animals. One was a silly looking monkey and the other was a chubby dragon.

"Awww...That's so cute..." Videl gushed. "We'll give these to them when they wake up."

"This one is from Ino. Can only guess what it is..." Sakura rolled her eyes as she handed it to Videl.

"Probably something to unwrap with Gohan later." Videl said as she put the gift to the side.

"Probably. This is from Choji." Naruto said as he handed it to Gohan.

"Some cooking utensils, nice." Gohan said as soon as he unwrapped it.

"This is from Hinata and Kiba." Sakura said as she handed out the presents.

"Oh my gosh, our own ninja pouches." Videl gasped as she unwrapped them.

"I thought you had one?" Naruto asked.

"I did, but it was destroyed when Ice attacked." Videl reminded him.

"Oh right." Naruto said.

"These are from Tenten and Lee. Oof!" Sakura grunted as she handed off the heavy presents.

"I'm guessing these are training weights." Gohan said as he took the present, only to be surprised when the gift felt extremely heavy, even to the half saiyan.

"Geez...The hell is this?" Gohan grunted.

Videl opened hers and was taken aback. "A turtle shell?" She asked in confusion.

That's when Gohan laughed. "I get it! I told Tenten and Lee about Master Roshi's training methods and they must have made some for us."

"No kidding? Sweet!" Videl chirped.

"Yeah, I worked with Pervy Sage on this one. They have built in seals that increase their gravity based on the wearer's strength. So it will never grow useless." Naruto said.

"Awesome..." Gohan and Videl said in awe.

"This one is from Lady Tsunade and Jiraiya." Sakura said as she handed them out.

Gohan unwrapped the tiny package and frowned. "Make-Out Revelations? Why'd they give us smut?"

"Um, if you don't want it, I'll take it." Videl offered sheepishly.

"Oh right. I forgot you read this stuff." Gohan said as he handed her the book. "What did you get?"

"Um..." Videl mumbled as she held up a bottle of some kind of liquid. "I'm not sure..."

"Oh, that's your Saiyan birth control." Sakura said before leaning into her ear. "Take the hint." She hissed.

Videl laughed nervously. "Right..."

"And here are some extra strength condoms the R and D boys made in the lab." Sakura said, offering them to Gohan.

"Oh, one time we get pregnant." Gohan said.

"And this is to prevent it happening again. So don't give me lip." Sakura scolded.

"But we want more." Gohan defended.

"Oh, so you plan on expecting next week? Because that's when the next full moon is. I always find it strange that you Saiyans simply can't exercise restraint. You should be evolved enough to not screw like jackrabbits whenever there is a full moon." Sakura said.

"And we told you that the moon triggers a chemical reaction in our systems causing us to lose control over our actions." Gohan reminded her.

"It just feels like your species should have evolved enough to resist it."

"Well, they didn't."

"Whatever. You'll probably be too tired to try anything, but if not, these will prevent any more happy accidents." Sakura stated.

"Good. Because I want to wait a while before we try again." Videl nodded.

"Smart thinking." Sakura nodded before pulling out one more present. "This is from Kakashi-sensei. I have a feeling I know what it is."

"Well I don't." Videl said as she unwrapped the gift. In it was a small jewelry box. "What is this?" Videl wondered while Sakura and Naruto smiled. She unveiled the box cover to see a pair of tiny silver bells.

"Bells?" Videl wondered.

"That's Kakashi-sensei's way of saying you graduated from his teachings." Sakura smiled.

Videl went wide eyed as she held up the bells. "Oh no...no, no, no, I can't take these. I rarely even worked with him because I was on maternity leave."

"Videl, it's okay. This is Kakashi's way of acknowledging you as a fellow shinobi." Sakura said.

"But...why?"

"Should I count the reasons?" Sakura started. "You killed Orochimaru, two Akatsuki members, Zetsu, saved me AND Naruto from Ice, revived Lady Tsunade after she got a death beam through her chest and you practically saved everyone in the village. Well, you and Gohan both. You're a hero, Videl...getting this from Kakashi-sensei is a real honor."

"I...I..." Videl stammered. In all honesty, she was at a loss for words. The most she could ever hope to amount to was a skilled fighter like her dad, but to be acknowledged as a hero...

"Yeah, you're a member of Team 7 for life." Naruto said.

"Looks like you got your wish dear." Gohan smiled.

That's when they heard fussing coming from the baby room.

"I got it..." Gohan sighed as he walked off.

"It seems you two have a system." Sakura observed.

"Yea...despite never having experience with children on my part, we make it work. I'm just glad Gohan knows what to do."

"He does? Since when?" Naruto asked.

"Well, when his dad was killed by Cell 7 years ago, it was only him and his mother to take care of his baby brother. So he got a crash course in taking care of an infant." Videl reminded him.

"Ah, right. I forgot about that." Naruto said.

"Well at least one of you knows what to do." Sakura smiled.

"Yup. It really helps." Videl said as Gohan walked in with Fasha in his arms. "Hi my little princess!" Videl said sweetly.

"She wants mom." Gohan smiled as he handed her over.

"There's my little girl...What's the matter, sweat pea?" Videl cooed to the fussy girl. Fasha looked up to see her mother smiling and making funny faces, but turned away when she saw something pink.

Videl playfully gasped. "Who is that? Is that your aunt Sakura?"

Fasha blew more bubbles with her spit.

"It is!" Videl excitedly stated. "It is your aunt Sakura."

Sakura could only smile before Videl looked at her.

"You wanna hold her?" Videl offered.

"I'd love to." Sakura said, holding out her hands.

Videl carefully handed Fasha over to Sakura where the little newborn started to fuss.

"Aw, it's okay baby, I won't hurt you." Sakura cooed as she emitted a small amount of mystic palm chakra to sooth the baby. Fasha was confused at first, but relaxed at the soothing sensation of Sakura's chakra and began cooing.

 _'Why didn't I think of that?'_ Gohan wondered to himself.

 _'Cause you're not as good as Sakura.'_ Videl thought.

 _'Yea, thanks for reinforcing that...'_ Gohan thought sourly before they both noticed Sakura tickling Fasha and making funny sounds and faces, making Fasha giggle. Fasha finally relaxed enough to wrap her tail around Sakura's forearm.

"Awww...She likes you." Videl gushed.

"Looks like the feelings are mutual." Naruto said as Fasha nestled her head into Sakura's bosom and yawned.

Sakura just held her goddaughter even tighter.

 _'Oh my god, she's so adorable.'_ Inner squealed. Soon Fasha started snoring softly, making Sakura smile.

"Wow, Sakura-chan...You would make an awesome mom..." Naruto said in awe.

Sakura smirked. "Thank you, Naruto." She smiled.

"I agree. Better than me." Videl smiled

"Oh pish posh. You're a great mother." Sakura defended.

"Not as good as I'd like to be. I think I'm gonna have you babysit sometime."

"Wha-me? But...But I've never really taken care of a child..." Sakura said hesitantly.

"Don't you do it all the time when you work in the maternity ward? Plus all those babysitting jobs we did as Genin?" Naruto pointed out.

"Honey, there are many people who work in the maternity ward and you know how I handled kids back then."

"I can't recall." Naruto admitted.

"Well I..." Sakura paused when she felt Fasha nuzzle her head deeper into Sakura's chest. She felt her heart melt at that. "Awww...How can I say no to that..?"

"Plus, this will give you two some experience." Gohan smiled.

"You just want some guaranteed days off. Admit it." Naruto pointed an accusatory finger at Gohan.

Gohan and Videl looked at one another in confusion.

"Naruto...Stop it..." Sakura hissed.

 _'Damn it, he's catching on.'_ Gohan thought to Videl.

 _'Catching onto what? I'm being serious. Just look at them.'_ Videl said as she pointed out Fasha completely passed out on Sakura's chest.

 _'Fasha loves her aunt...It's just so adorable, how can you think that we're just dumping the kids on them?'_ Videl added.

 _'Yea... You're right. I'm sorry...'_ Gohan said shamefully.

"She's just so cute...I hope mine is just as adorable..." Sakura happily said softly as she stroked what little bit of hair Fasha had.

"Ditto." Naruto said as he scooched close to the two of them. Naruto couldn't keep his eyes off Sakura. The way she held Fasha was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The way she protectively held her close while she slept, the way Sakura stroked Fasha's hair, the warm and loving smile on her face, her sighs...

 _'Woah, wait a minute...Don't Tell me you're really wanting one now.'_ Naruto thought.

Sakura nodded. _'This just feels...Right, ya know?'_

 _'But can we even afford it? Plus, what about our original plan? You wanting to wait until you were in your 30's?'_ Naruto reminded her.

 _'I'm not saying now, dear.'_ Sakura said before looking back down at Fasha and smiled. _'But soon...'_

 _'How soon?'_

 _'I'm thinking...3-5 years from now.'_

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. _'Okay, that sounds more reasonable.'_

 _'Hey, I'd like to have a life before kids too. They look adorable right now, but this is a whole other chapter in our lives.'_ Sakura thought.

 _'Right I know that. I was just saying, ya know?'_

 _'As was I.'_

 _'Well so long as we're on the same page.'_

 _'Yes, do you want to hold her?'_ Sakura asked.

 _'Oh no, that's fine... She seems content sleeping on you anyway.'_

"Looks like someone else wanted to join the party." Videl said as she carried Bardock in.

"Was he fussy, too?" Sakura asked

"He was, but he just needed to be changed." She said before she noticed Bardock trying to reach for Naruto.

"Oh, I think someone wants his Uncle Naruto." Videl smiled.

"Uh...What?" Naruto asked before he found himself holding onto the little bundle.

Bardock clung to Naruto's arm like a life line, even wrapping his tail around his uncle's forearm. He gave a tiny little yawn before drooling all over Naruto's shirt.

"Uh...He's drooling on me."

"Yea, he'll do that." Videl smiled.

"Is that...good?" Naruto asked nervously.

"It's just a normal thing." Videl waved off.

"Babies will do a lot of out of the ordinary thing, Naruto." Sakura said as she felt something warm and wet soak through her clothes. "Sigh...Like when the diaper leaks..."

Naruto snickered.

"Oh geez, I'm so sorry, Sakura." Videl said quickly as Fasha started to fuss.

"Don't worry about it, just give me a new diaper." Sakura waved off.

Videl nodded and went to go fetch wipes, a clean onesie and a diaper.

"So, you guys kept the tails?" Naruto asked.

"Yea, why?"

"Oh I don't know...Does the Oozaru ring a bell?" Sakura reminded him.

"Oh yea, we have that figured out. We have blackout curtains we'd put on their window during the full moon."

"Alright...That could work." Sakura said simply as Videl returned.

"I've got their bottles." Videl informed.

"Cool." Sakura said as she laid Fasha down on the couch to change her diaper.

"You know how to do that?" Naruto asked.

"Of course I do." Sakura waved off.

"Well this is definitely a Christmas to remember." Videl smiled.

"Yup... Definitely." Sakura smiled as they all shared a good laugh. It's true, despite everything that has happened this past year, it was a good way to welcome in the next year and the start of the next generation.

* * *

6 Years later, to the date.

Gohan and Videl laid sleeping in their bed before their door was suddenly whipped open and 4 little kids pounced them in their bed.

"It's Christmas!" The eldest girl exclaimed.

"Yea, come on! Wake up!" The eldest boy shouted.

"Ugh..." Videl groaned as she sat up. "We told you kids that you can have at your stockings until we got up..."

"But we did that hours ago! Come on, mommy, it's Christmas!" Fasha whined as she pulled at her mother's covers.

"What time is it...?" Gohan yawned.

Videl looked over at the clock and it was 8:23. "Time to get up...it's going on 8:30."

"Come on, father! Aunt Sakura and Uncle Naruto are already up!" Bardock whined.

Videl cocked an eyebrow. _'Huh...I thought they'd be hung over...'_ She thought.

 _'Well, you know our Hokage. Kurama helps with that a lot. and Sakura is...well, Sakura.'_ Gohan replied.

 _'True.'_ Videl said before addressing her kids. "Alright, everyone out. We gotta get dressed."

"Yaaaaaay!" The children all shrieked with joy, jolting the their parents awake.

"Yea, now out with you. Fasha, make your sisters some breakfast." Videl ordered.

"Grandma has that covered." Bardock said.

"Oh they're up too? Okay then..." Videl yawned. "We'll be out in a minute."

The kids all cheered again before darting out of their parents' bedroom and closing the door.

"Two more...two more and that's it..." Videl yawned as she got out of bed with nothing but her panties on.

"Yes, dear, I know." Gohan yawned.

A short while later, Gohan and Videl emerged from their bedroom to the smell of fresh food cooking away.

"Mmmm...damn your mom can cook." Videl all but drooled.

"I swear, she practically lives to do that." Gohan smiled as they entered the living room to see their kids huddled around the tree, Goku and Goten sitting on the couch with Naruto and Sakura sitting on the floor with their son near them. He was the spitting image of his father, but with his mother's green eyes.

"Bout time you two woke up." Goku grinned. 3 years ago, Gohan and Videl were pleasantly surprised when Goku, Goten and Chichi appeared in the Leaf thanks to Bulma making a far more stable dimensional teleporter device. One where they could travel freely between dimensions. The rest of the Sons have decided to make the 24th Universe as their home with Gohan and Videl, enabling the Son clan to make its way to a recognizable size.

"We didn't realize how late it was." Gohan said as he and Videl sat down on the love seat.

"And I thought we slept in." Naruto grinned.

"Yea, really. And we were drunk." Sakura chuckled. Everyone looked at the giggling pink haired woman.

"You sure that you're not still drunk?" Videl sweat dropped.

"No, I'm good. I'm always in a good mood on Christmas morning." Sakura waved off.

"Really? Cause to just admit that you were drunk is a little...tacky." Videl said.

"Oh yea, this coming from the woman who can chug a 30 pack and think that Naruto is a coat rack." Sakura smirked.

"I'm a half-saiyan. You're human...mostly." Videl argued, only to have Gohan place his hand on her shoulder.

"Honey, no need to argue on Christmas."

"Can we open presents now?" Fasha pleaded.

Videl sighed. "Yes, honey...go ahead."

"YAAAY!" The kids all cheered.

"Go ahead, Shina." Sakura smiled as she watched her son grab a present. Shinachiku nodded and toddled off to find one of his presents.

The kids all mobbed the pile of presents stacked high around the tree. Shinachiku grabbed one present with green wrapping paper and a golden ribbon and ran back to his parents to confirm if he had picked out the right gift.

Sakura embraced her baby boy and looked at the tag.

 _To: Gine_

 _From: Santa_

"Oops, this is a present for Gine, Shina." Sakura told him.

"No. Mine." Shina said.

"No, it's for Gine. Now put it back." Sakura scolded.

"Shinachiku, why don't you give it to Gine?" Naruto suggested. "I betcha it would make you both feel really good."

"Okay." Shina nodded and toddled off to give Gine her present.

"Here, Marry Chris-mas." Shinachiku said to the 2 year old Gine. Who looked up at the boy with a present in his hands.

"Gine, what do you say?" Videl asked sweetly.

"Fank you, Shina." Gine said as she took the present. Videl and Sakura could only smile at the adorable exchange.

 _'Those two are so adorable...'_ Sakura thought to Videl.

 _'I know...It would be awesome if they got together when they get older.'_

 _'Yes, it would.'_ Sakura said, both women giggling at the thought of it.

"And what's got you two so giggly?" Chichi asked.

"Oh nothing." Videl said. Nothing was wrong in the whole world.

* * *

 **Author's Note from Panda: And have a Happy New Year.**


End file.
